[This print is the beautiful work of artist/photographer Georgia O’Keefe. I captured it last month while visiting her Museum in Albuquerque NM]

The Choir pulled out an old one this past Sunday, a Kirk Franklin classic.

You don’t have to worry and don’t you be afraid
Joy comes in the morning; troubles, they don’t last always
For there’s a Friend named Jesus Who will wipe your tears away
And if your heart is broken, just lift your hands and say

THIS!
I know that I can make it, I know that I can stand
No matter what may come my way, my life is in Your Hands
With Jesus I can take it, With Him I know I can stand
No matter what may come my way, my life is in Your Hands

So when your tests and trials, they seem to get you down
And all your friends and loved ones are no where to be found
Remember there’s a Friend named Jesus Who will wipe your tears away
And if your heart is broken just lift your hands and say
I know that I can make it, I know that I can stand
No matter what may come my way, my life is in Your Hands
With Jesus I can take it, With Him I know I can stand
No matter what may come my way, my life is in Your Hands

Anticipating the birth of his firstborn (our first grandson), I remember something my son said. While contemplating all the things on his plate at the time, decisions to be made and his baby, at that time, still comfy in his mother’s womb past his due date … My son said, ‘there are so many things out of our hands”.
Isn’t that the time our faith pulls us into all that we believe and trust God for, the time when we must realize, accept, embrace and rejoice in the fact that our life is in His Hands. What an assurance that whatever comes our way, our lives are in His Hands. He holds us and all that concerns us in His Hands and we can trust His ability to hold us, to cover us, and to protect us.

It was Sunday morning, the culminating service of a dynamic Women’s Conference that I attended in October.

The speaker prefaced her sermon by stating wherever she is and for whatever reason on a Sunday morning, she does not preach the theme of the event, but she preaches Jesus. She continued, ‘because there are people who attend church on Sunday who may never hear about Jesus’. I was so stricken by the reality, veracity and significance of her decision and commitment to preach only Jesus. As she moved into her message with the passion and conviction of the Holy Ghost, preaching Jesus, the Holy Ghost began to fall, the anointing of God filled the Temple, you could feel yokes being destroyed, you could see Him drawing men, women, boys and girls to Him, you could not deny Jesus, He was in the room. His presence had been ushered in by the conviction of this woman that came from a truth that she lived and was able to powerfully transfer to those who heard her. It was a phenomenal encounter to witness.

The atmosphere was so conducive for Jesus to come in, for the weight of His Glory to move, to work His purpose, to restore the young single mother, to put rejoicing in the heart and feet of the elderly mother, to the anoint the hands and voices of the minstrels, to release the tears of those who were reserved in their own anger or fear, to show Himself strong and real to the doubters, to save the lost, to transform the young man and to strengthen the old man, and to leave us all with an awe of only Him, only Jesus.

It happens every time, every time … I’ve witnessed it time and time again. The visitation that comes when we lift up Jesus, when we present Him as the Sovereign One that He Is. It is just the natural course of things. When our hearts are focused on Him, He inhabits every space, the physical space of a room and the human space of a heart and soul. Oh, there’s no denying His presence, when He Is in the room. No man can stand in His presence, His intangibleness becomes tangible … He touches you and you touch Him.

He fluidly fills every space of your being with the glory of His essence. Can you feel Him?

The prompt for this week’s Five Minute Friday is MERCY. I immediately thought of this beautiful song by my most favorite Gospel singer, not just because of her voice, but because of her spirit and consistent Godly representation of Christ. She wears the ornament of holiness like a well-tailored garment. I love CeCe Winans, one of a short list of stellar ladies I would love to meet and talk to about her faith and love for God.

The song is, ‘Mercy Said No’ … I pray it ministers to you and you realize or are reminded of the unrelenting fortitude of God’s MERCY in your life.

Mercy said no
I’m not gonna let you go
I’m not gonna let you slip away
You don’t have to be afraid
Mercy said no
Sin will never take control
Life and death stood face to face
Darkness tried to steal my heart away
Thank You Jesus, Mercy said no

I love music! It, particularly Worship music and Gospel music, renews my life literally each and every day.

One songwriter wrote,
Sing unto the Lord a new song,
Sing unto the Lord all the earth.
Oh sing unto the Lord a new song,
For He is worthy to be praised.
Come before His presence with thanksgiving
And enter His courts with praise,
Be thankful unto Him and bless His holy name
For He is worthy to be praised.

Sing a new song, let it worship from the heart and bless His Name
In so doing, you will be blessed with renewed life. A song for me is a healing therapy, the balm of Jesus, that gives perspective to everything in my life. Somehow with a song, I can make it. I feed my spirit, my heart, my soul, and my mind with a song at the start of my day and it rings all day and all through the night. It covers me. My life is sustained by a resounding praise, a never-ending song.

Ephesians 5:19 says, Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
When you’re lost in a song, there is no room for anything else

Sing a new song!

.

Today I’m linking up with the Five Minute Friday and writing on the prompt given by Lisa-Jo Baker. This week’s word is SONG.

Five Minute Friday, where a community of bloggers write on the same topic … 1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking. 2. Link back and invite others to join in, http://lisajobaker.com/five-minute-friday/. 3. Visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them in their comments. Seriously. That is, like, the rule. And the fun. And the heart of this community…OK, are you ready? Please give us your best five minutes on: HOME

“Every wise woman buildeth her house …” (makes it a HOME):

I strive everyday to make my home a sanctuary, a safe haven, an abiding solace.

Our Pastor teaches us that the husband is the priest of the home, but the wife is the heart of the home. I take great pride in my role as a wife, mother and homemaker.

We’ve been married for nearly 35 yaers. Our first home was a one-bedroom apartment, then a rented house, several rented houses, then home ownership. We became empty nesters, umm, can’t remember how long ago now. Our joys went off to college, became independent adults, started to make their own dreams. Three years ago, we decided to downsize, so we settled into a penthouse suite in a property on Lake Erie.

When my Love comes home from a long day and evening of work, ministry and service, he comes home to a sanctuary where he can rest his mind, spirit, and body … an abiding solace.

Titus 2 teaches us to be chaste housekeepers, Proverbs 31 celebrates the woman who looketh well to the ways of her household.

As wives, mothers, and single independent women, whether career women (which most of us are), including home/family managers or women of ministry, a valuable lesson I learned long ago is that “ministry begins at home”. Home, marriage and family is our first ministry.

My home is a sanctuary, a place where my family and my God can find an abiding solace.

The home should be the treasure chest of living. ~ Le Corbusier

Where we love is home – home that our feet may leave, but not our hearts. ~ Oliver Wendell Holmes

Five Minute Friday, where a community of bloggers write on the same topic … 1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking. 2. Link back and invite others to join in, http://lisajobaker.com/five-minute-friday/. 3. Visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them in their comments. Seriously. That is, like, the rule. And the fun. And the heart of this community…OK, are you ready? Please give us your best five minutes on: AGAIN

“Rejoice in the Lord always: and AGAIN I say, Rejoice.” ~ Philippians 4:4

Just heard an old hymn ministered on TBN …
Pastor Smokie Norful sang,
We praise Thee, O God!
For the Son of Thy love,
For Jesus Who died,
And is now gone above.
Hallelujah! Thine the glory.
Hallelujah! Amen.
Hallelujah! Thine the glory.
Revive us AGAIN.

Wow! Such a powerful prayer in song.
We don’t sing the old hymns like we used to.
They are the songs that express our hearts, the deep cries of our
hearts to God.
When you sing them again and again, they touch you in the same way.
The healing way, the soothing way, the compelling way.
Again and again, they minister of God’s great love and His tender care
for us … of His Amazing Grace.
Giving us a Blessed Assurance that He is there for us.
Again and again, they minister to the hidden hurts, the scary places
that He is there saying, Peace Be Still.
Again and again, in the Blessed Quietness, the billows cease to roll.
Again and again, we can come to Him, whispering, Lord, I Surrender All.
And again and again we know ‘Tis So Sweet To Trust in Jesus.
And one day we shall see Him Up In Our Heavenly Home.

In the meantime, until you come AGAIN for Your Church,
Dear Lord, please revive us AGAIN. *Q

Flow to you, Flow to you. Let the river of my worship flow to you. Lord, I pray in all I do. Let the river of my worship, flow to you Lord. Like streams in the valley, they swell with the rain. Let the songs of my heart, let them rise to bless your name & Flow to you, Flow to you, Lord let my worship flow to You.

This worship anthem has been an earworm in my spirit for several weeks. I reflect upon the worship moment. We were in a Worship Service designed for souls to come to Christ, to receive His Spirit. After our Pastor imparted the Word of God, souls seeking God came to the altar, others along with myself on one accord as in that ancient upper room, began to cry out to God, travailing for the birth of souls. The song leaders began the worship … Flow to You.

I was enraptured in the worship, it was pure, reverent, and expecting. It was a place of habitation for God to come in and dwell for a while … it was a secret place dwelling. It was a place, an encounter of surrender to the holiness of my loving Father, my inner most being yearning for Him ~ Jesus, for His touch, for His visitation, for His abiding presence. A glory cloud filled the Temple, souls began to receive Him, their souls uttered His heavenly language, the evidence of His presence, of His essence filled them and me.

Lord, let my worship flow to You. Like the precious ointment upon the head, that runs down upon the garments, let my worship touch You.

In the spirit of Five Minute Fridays (on sabbatical for December) which is a writing exercise when a community of bloggers (a true literary league of all-stars) write for five minutes on the same specific prompt – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking, and then share your post. I love the opportunity so much, I decided to write anyway. Also inspired by a blogger’s comment that we could still write, maybe about words of the Christmas season, like star, wisemen, gift … I looked at my Starbucks cup and the sleeve said, “Rekindle the season”.

Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. ~ Matthew 2:1-2

No matter what the circumstances, somehow through Christmas life is
rekindled, joy is renewed, and love is shared in abundance.
It is like we turn a corner and somehow through the window of Christmas
with its festive beauty of wonder and light
HOPE displaces despair,
COMPASSION displaces hatred, and
TOGETHERNESS displaces loneliness
Family rekindle traditions that have been stored away.
Friends rekindle relationships that have been distanced by time, space
or hurt. Strangers rekindle charity to those less fortunate.
The eternal flame of love ignited through the
Christ child rekindles goodwill in all of us.
We love because He first loved us and gave Himself for us.
We give because He gave so freely that we may live.
We celebrate because He was born, Savior of the whole world.

Rekindle the season …
O come let us adore Him
He is Christ the Lord *Q

1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.
2. Link back and invite others to join in, http://lisajobaker.com/five-minute-friday/.
3. Visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them in their comments. Seriously. That is, like, the rule. And the fun. And the heart of this community…OK, are you ready? Please give us your best five minutes on: WONDER

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called WONDERful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.” ~ Isaiah 9:6-7

I marvel at the great love of God. His wonder surpasses my finite capacity to understand it. His life-giving, life-changing wonder is seen in every facet of life. Through the atmosphere, the Earth’s yielding of nature, the creation of humanity. Through His long suffering patience with mankind, through His mercy and grace that sustains our lives when we’re not worthy. Oh, His forgiveness. He forgives us over and over. He loves us inspite of our wretchedness. The wonder of His love. The wonder of His heart. The wonder of His sacrifice. When I think of Him, I cannot comprehend His wonder. He is a wonder in my soul. I just know that I love Him, O sweet Wonder.

This beautiful refrain is from an old hymn of the Church. I just learned today that it was written by one of the Founding Fathers of my faith, Bishop Garfield T. Haywood.

O sweet Wonder! O sweet Wonder! Jesus the Son of God; How I adore Thee! O how I love Thee! Jesus the Son of God.

And yet another praise lingers in my spirit when I think of this word, WONDER

He’s a wonder in my soul; He’s a wonder in my soul; He’s a wonder in my soul; Bless His Name!